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Ask anyone about time and they have the same reaction. They can’t believe time is going by so quickly. The first half of 2022 is already past us and if you didn’t capitalize on it enough for referrals, it’s too late. It’s gone. You’re left with part two of 2022.
How can you leverage the time you have left in this year to maximize your referral results?
Focus.
Let’s start by talking about your centers-of-influence (COIs). Narrow your focus. Choose the top three COIs you want to focus on for the rest of the year and zero in on them to enhance reciprocity.
If you don’t know what your COIs are trying to accomplish before the end of the year, find out. One of the easiest ways to gain reciprocity is to help someone meet a goal. If your COI has a goal of five more new clients by the end of the year, get on it and tell your COI that you plan to be responsible for at least two of those new clients. When you announce your commitment and help someone meet a goal, the natural tendency for givers is to reciprocate out of gratitude. They will feel compelled to want to help you in the same manner. Share your year-end goals with your COIs as well. This will help them be able to see how they can fit into your growth plans.
Meet with these chosen few COIs at least once a month between now and the end of the year. During those meetings, stay focused. Guide your conversations to specifically focus on how you can help each other. Regularly compare calendars to share who you’ll be in front of in the month ahead and strategize on how to best bring the other person up in conversation. Tell stories of your favorite clients and how you’ve helped them so that you both gain clarity around the right referrals for each other. Look for opportunities to include each other in podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and even events where the two of you can benefit from face-to-face introductions.
Now let’s talk about your clients.
In the same manner, when you focus your referral efforts on a specific group of clients, you will be much more likely to get referrals. Choose five to 10 clients to focus on between now and December. That said, you will want to select clients who either have already referred you in the past or who have told you they would be happy to refer you yet still haven’t done so. These clients have the highest client referral potential, especially when given limited time to produce results.
Once you’ve chosen these special clients, make time in your schedule to meet with each one. Ideally, you’ll want this meeting to be in person over lunch, coffee/tea, or drinks after work. This would amount to one or two clients per month. Your meetings will be focused on education. Those clients who have yet to refer you need your help in learning how to do it. Focus on three simple things… clarify who you want to help, give them specific triggers to listen for and explain how you want to be introduced. For those clients who have referred you in the past, this is your opportunity to spend some one-to-one quality time while thanking them with lunch or drinks after work. At some point during your time together, be sure to spend a few minutes talking about the great people they have sent to you. The strategy here is two-fold… nurture the relationships with people who already feel comfortable referring you as well as plant yourself back in their mind by reminding them of the people they have referred in the past. This will be a natural trigger for them to start thinking of other people they know who need your services and will likely produce new referrals.
Both these strategic efforts require you to get off your chair and meet with a specific group of people with a specific purpose before the end of the year. Strategy and focus will pay off. The time you dedicate to this activity will result in you triggering opportunities and teaching more people how to refer you.
How can this not result in more referrals for you before the end of the year? Start today by being proactive with intention and focus to help ensure that 2022 ends better than you ever expected.
Michelle R. Donovan owns Productivity Uncorked LLC where Michelle (Referral Coach) and Patty Kreamer (Productivity Coach) offer a one-two punch to help financial advisors be more productive and more profitable. Michelle’s books have become Wall Street Journal best-sellers, Amazon best-sellers and published in seven languages. If you want to enhance your productivity, set a time to chat with Michelle, email her at [email protected] or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Read more articles by Michelle R. Donovan